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There is no shortage of pubs in and around Milwaukee. We have plenty of places to find typical pub fare.

But few of them have the same fun with the menu that Attebury's Pub and Eatery in St. Francis does, with a wink here and there as it plays with some of that pub fare and then ventures beyond.

That's how bangers and mash at Attebury's became an appetizer of "English corn dogs" ($8.50): two plump skewered sausages, coated not in cornmeal batter but in a thin layer of mashed potato, and fried. It's requisite bar food - starch, meat, fried; check, check and check - with a little extra fun.

Attebury's opened in March in what had been Carleton Grange, an English-style pub that closed last year. Little about the dining room has changed; it still has wood trim, oversized booths and both banquette and table seating. Empty bookshelves could use a little something to dispel an unfinished feeling.

More attention has been paid to the revamped menu, and for the most part it pays off.

English nachos ($10.25), an appetizer to share, builds on fried rounds of potato instead of tortilla chips. The toppings include the typical tomatoes and such, but also roast lamb, a real treat.

Another treat is the calamari ($8.95), served with chile sauce. Instead of typical small rings, which seem to toughen if you so much as look at them too long, these are big, meaty strips of tender squid.

Steamed mussels ($8.95) were excellent, in a savory broth that combined their juices with aromatics and ale. It's an appetizer to share, but I'd even order this as a meal, with a plea for more bread - or at least a spoon, please - as part of my No Broth Left Behind policy.

Entrées generally delivered, with some stumbles here and there.

Beer mac 'n' cheese ($10.50) is a version to love, with its light, creamy sauce made with ale, fontina and three other cheeses. Thick nuggets of bacon were thrown in for good measure, and cheddar was strewn over the top and browned.

An expected pub dish, shepherd's pie ($14.95) adds roast lamb to the usual ground beef, a nice touch. It's served with a salad and bread.

Not every dish is pure pub (and an expanded menu in August is expected to do more with world flavors). Pan-seared salmon ($18.95) was delicious with its glaze of cranberry and apple cider, and prepared perfectly, too. The red potatoes on the plate were good; the summer squash, bland.

When it came to the sirloin steak ($19.95), it was the side that was notable: Cabbage with bacon and blue cheese was fantastic. The steak, OK.

Yet that same cut was tender and flavorful when slices of it were draped across a colorful steak and blue cheese salad ($13.95) popping with mixed greens, red peppers and red onions, avocado, corn, carrots and dried cranberries. If you're not convinced that house-made makes a difference, taste the buttermilk-cider dressing on this salad.

Attebury's also has a lineup of sandwiches - the oyster po' boy ($10.95) is fab, with crunchy-crisp cornmeal breading blanketing the oysters, and a brilliant smear of blue crab spread boosting the flavor - and several burgers as well.

The burgers are a half-pound of beef, but split into three thin patties. I was dubious - a thick burger is a basic burger joy - but the Portobello and Swiss ($9.75) was a good burger indeed. The Guinness onion demi-glace drizzled over the patties - more gravy than demi in consistency - did little for me, though.

With a wood-fired oven in the kitchen, there must, of course, be pizza.

I doubt I'll see pear and prosciutto pizza ($13.50) at any other pub around here, and that was all the more reason to order it. It's tasty, all right, with a tantalizing yin-yang - just a little sweetness from thin pear slices and onion, and slight saltiness from prosciutto, a light cloak of blue cheese sauce and melted fontina.

Unlike the rest of the menu, dessert seemed like an afterthought, not even regularly offered by servers. Neither a "molten" brownie with ice cream nor a layered strawberry cake was made in house. Both tasted like it, and neither was one I'd hurry to order again.

I mused over simple but different desserts Attebury's could pair with beer, and what a fun note it would be at dinner's end. At least the restaurant now is working with local bakeries to expand its dessert options.

Certainly, there's plenty of beer to go around. Attebury's has two dozen taps and another two dozen beers by the bottle, the taps skewing heavily toward American craft beers.

What I really wanted when I sat down was a beer list so I could peruse my options. There wasn't one, but servers were good about relaying the day's featured beers - usually four or so. Fortunately, after several months of refining the list and swapping out beers, Attebury's soon will have the drink menu at each table that also will have an upgraded list of a dozen wines.

Attebury's feels like a neighborhood place, and service was fittingly friendly. Downright nice, really. But on a busy Friday, service fell behind somewhat. And we felt we were being rushed when asked twice if we'd like our food boxed while we were still eating; then we cooled our heels, waiting when we were more than ready to pay our bill.

Servers did know the menu well, both food and drink, and had a handle on the big picture. But pacing from appetizers to entrées one night was off, and glasses sat empty too long on another visit, or there was no spoon to stir coffee, twice; hone those details, and service will be plenty smooth.

I'd gladly head back to Attebury's, and spend some more time on its big courtyard patio so close to the Oak Leaf Trail. Beer here, and some noteworthy plates, too.